Sonic and the Fallen King
by flamewarflipsides
Summary: Sequel to Blue Tint. Sonic and N set out for Unova to save Kyurem and free Pokemon, but their idealism does little without concrete plans. A trainer from Kanto understands Sonic's goals better than N, but what does he want? For that matter, what does Sonic want, and why is he here? Set during the ending of Pokemon: White 2; spoils Sonic Generations and the Storybook series.
1. Fly

**Author's Notes and Warnings**

Thank you for your interest in this story!

If you haven't read "Blue Tint," You need to read that first. This story is a sequel to it! You can find Blue Tint on the author's profile. You can also search for it. If you want to search for it, it's a Pokemon and Sonic the Hedgehog cross, rated K, just shy of 1500 words in English, and Complete. Characters are Sonic and N. Search in "Friendship/Angst."

This story is a crossover between the Sonic games continuity, especially the Storybook games and the Colors/Generations Arc, and the Pokemon games continuity, especially the Kanto and Unova games. It spoils Pokemon Black & White and their direct sequels most heavily.

This story also contains some content that may shock, disturb, or annoy readers. That includes:

* Light Shipping (straight and yaoi)  
* Frank discussions of topics like racism, prejudice, homophobia, and slavery  
* Frank discussions of Pokemon abuse and control, including the notion of Pokeballs as a mind control device  
* Verbal and emotional abuse of Pokemon  
* Verbal and emotional abuse of human beings  
* Major character death

Thank you for your patience. Enjoy the show!

* * *

_"You really aren't from this world. Sonic, the kind of being for which I mistook you here is frequently enslaved. Your uniqueness would mark you as valuable. If people see you with me… they should leave you alone. Otherwise, I fear for your freedom, and your safety." The man with green hair shook his head, closing his eyes like he was trying to block something out. "If you aren't a Pokemon, who knows what effect a Pokeball might have. A sample size of one is no sample at all…"_

_I leaned back, grinning. "Sounds like I wound up here for a reason then!" Then I scratched under my nose. I wondered if I did that as much as he shook his head. "I'll just set all the animals free like I've been doing for years."_

_N chuckled, sighing. "What do you think I have been trying to do? The formula for liberation has too many variables for one man to change alone."_

* * *

As the world crept back in around me, I expected to feel a warm bed under my side, the pages of a book on my nose.

Instead, I felt cold, hard rock, and hair on my face.

I opened my eyes as fast as I could. Yup, hair. Pale green hair, attached to a long,s noring human body, which was curled up next to a big white fluffy dragon.

Right. So that dream about winding up in a world full of slaves actually happened. Not waking up with a book this time. It wasn't summer, I wasn't in Station Square, and this wasn't Kansas, or even the United Federation.

I sat up, slowly, looking at them. The weird little man and his big old dragon buddy, N and Reshiram. The guys who were gonna change the world and save all the Pokemon, whatever the heck a Pokemon is.

And I was gonna help them, if I didn't do more harm than good, anyway.

I started looking for a way out, and some shallow water to wash my face in. Maybe someone else to talk to. N sold me on his plans pretty easily, and I wanted an outside perspective.

Outside, I found a little stream, and a lady washing her kids in it. Looking back, nothing about the way she looked said "lady" to me. It might have been the attention she was giving the kids. I'm not even sure why I started talking to her. Maybe it's because she and the kids had two tails, just like… well, Tails. They looked more like weasels than foxes, but I it was enough to make me think of him. Enough to let my guard down.

"Mornin'," I called, nodding.

All three of 'em, mom and babies, froze in their tracks and looked at me. After a second, they sighed, relieved.

"Morning," the mother returned, guarded. I couldn't tell how, but the way she spoke was different. For some reason, I also suddenly I knew she was called a Floatzel. "Is your trainer with you?"

"I don't have one."

"Then why do you talk like a human?"

I shrugged. "My parents taught me. …Mind if I wash my face in your stream here?"

She blinked at me, cocking her head to the side. "Why would you have any less right to the stream here than we do?"

So Pokemon weren't all that territorial. I filed that away in my head. "I don't know. Might be different. I'm from far away." I decided to cut to the chase. "From a place where there are no Pokemon or trainers."

One of the children laughed. "Mommy, how does he not know about trainers?" He was a Buizel. How did I know that?

She shot the little kid a glare. "Humans capture our kind in these tiny spheres and use them to fight. Some Pokemon like fighting, and seek the humans out because they think humans make them stronger. Most of us just try to keep away from them."

I nodded. "And all humans are bad?" I knelt down by the water and splashed some on my face, hoping I wouldn't fall in.

"No. Not all of them. There's a human with green hair, the Hero of Truth. He wants to free us from humans. I hear he used to want to separate the species, but now I hear he's compromised. He wants to stop humans from capturing Pokemon." She shook her head a little, disapproving. "I hear he's nearby."

She was right. I'd just slept maybe three feet from his face, although that didn't explain how his hair got all the way over to me. Still, I kept that to myself. I wanted to learn as much as I could from someone who wasn't a fanatic, and I don't think she liked him.

"Sounds like you aren't too fond of the guy."

"He's a fool. Humans can't be stopped. Something about them brings out the strongest in Pokemon. Some even follow certain humans without those little balls." She looked at children, frowning. "The only way to be free of humans is to stay places where few humans travel, and stay just weak enough not to catch their eye."

Yikes.

"Sonic?"

I turned and looked behind me. "Yeah, N?"

He was there, his hair going every which way out from under his hat, smiling. "I thought I dreamed you."

"I know, right? This lady was just telling me about how Pokemon who don't wanna get caught pull it off." I turned to her; she was glaring at me. "Thanks for clearin' things up for me." Then I walked over to him.

He smiled at her. "We'll give her more options. We're flying today. I'm going to see if I can get some information on what's happened to Kyurem in a place called Chargestone Cave."

N tried to brief me on the flight over, telling me things he hadn't gotten to the night before. Only problem was, he doesn't understand the meaning of the word brief. He tried to dump it all on me at once: The story of Team Plasma and the legendary dragons. The story of how he became the champion, and his defeat by the girl with the baseball cap who fought alongside Zekrom, Reshiram's opposite. He told me about how all of it was a scheme by his dad to take over the world and steal Pokemon. He told me about how he ran away two years ago to find himself. Now, apparently, something bad happened to Kyurem, the dragon Reshiram and Zekrom came from. He suspected his dad.

But that's about all I got out of what he told me.

I do best with stories when I can read them, or imagine that I'm in them. After a while of listening to motormouth, suddenly Reshiram's fuzz was more interesting.

After a while, N chided, "Trying to understand the current state of the world without understanding its history is like trying to solve an equation with multiple variables, knowing none."

Though he sounded just as calm as he usually did, I could feel the criticism. I looked up at him. "I didn't get where I have in life by sitting in a classroom and listening to other people's solutions. I learn by seeing."

N nodded. "But we must pass this time somehow…"

"What goes on in this Chargestone Cave?"

N glanced down at the land but I don't think he saw it "It's a scientific anomaly. Trainers come there to capture rare Pokemon, and often battle each other. Scientists experiment there. Pokemon live their lives."

"So I might get to see someone capture a pokemon. Maybe see trainers fight."

"Yes."

I ran my fingers through the down on Reshiram's back, trying not to think about what my next question meant. "And what do I do if someone sees me?"

"Act like you're with me, though I would prefer we keep my presence a secret."

I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're flying in on a giant dragon and you wanna keep your presence a secret? N, buddy, think about this. Reshiram here is not exactly stealth."

"He's right, N," the dragon chided.

"I know he's right," N snapped. Well, snapped with him is relative; his voice stayed light and calm, but he spoke faster than he usually does. "But there is no way to conceal my return. Without Reshiram, I would take a commercial boat or flight. Team Plasma could easily obtain those records. However, if I recall Reshiram into a Pokeball and travel with your assistance, so long as you are faster than the Shadow Triad, I can keep them confused as to where in the region I am."

I nodded. Still, for some reason I felt a need to press my luck. "Why hide at all? Why not come out in the open, and challenge your dad directly if he's responsible?"

N shook his head. He does that a lot. "My father can convince people to behave in ways that benefit him. He figures out what they desire and finds a way to make that suit his own goals." I thought his voice cracked a little. "The only way to beat him is to conceal your intentions, or to so carefully obscure your actions that he cannot factor you into his equation."

"So you think that if you just run around Unova and never stay in the same place, he won't realize it when you go in for the kill."

N turned back to face me, a glint of anger in his blue eyes. "No killing. That is not my way."

"It ain't mine either." I glanced off the side. "It's an expression."

I saw him look away out of the corner of my eye. "I will convince him that I'm too frightened to intervene. I'll dawdle as I did when I began to suspect I was wrong about humanity. We will ensure that people see me far away from Giant Chasm when my allies in old Team Plasma tell me he's mobilizing there… and you will carry me there with your famed speed."

"Sounds like a plan, N." I wasn't really looking forward to carrying a full size human any distance, but I was pretty sure I could do it. I'd just pretend N was a pretty girl. Still, something about the plan seemed strange to me, and I wasn't the only one. I could feel something tensing underneath me… the muscles of Reshiram's back. I gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.

"You have reservations?"

"Well, I gotta see if I can even carry you. You seem pretty skinny, but I dunno." I looked down. "And… Something about this just doesn't sit right with me."

"Keep talking."

"Well… you're the hero of truth, right? So… why all the scheming?"

N shook his head. "What a naive view of truth. Reshiram is the Dragon of Truth, but his opposite is the Dragon of Ideals, not Lies. Truth is not honesty with others, but honesty with yourself: seeing the world as it truly is. Sincerity beat Ghetsis before, but it may not suffice again. He will expect it now. The best chance of his defeat lies in giving him insufficient data to solve the equation… in telling little white lies."

I nodded. It's not like I haven't lied to stop the bad guy before. But it just bothered me, the hero of truth basing a whole campaign on deception. Like it just bothered me, a whole world where thinking, feeling creatures could be slaves.

"You remind me of that trainer…" he mused, turning back, away from me. I stared at his long, green hair, sticking up every just way. It looked familiar, but I couldn't place it…

Maybe I was over-thinking. Couldn't wait 'til I could run.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks for making it this far! The story will be updated next weekend, probably on Friday or Saturday. :) The story has been finished, but I'll be uploading a chapter a week.


	2. Foresight

It seemed like it took forever before we landed in a valley. I tried not to flinch as N sucked Reshiram up into the ball. Then he lead me into a little hole in the mountain.

What I found was a cave that's as cool and blue as I am. Everything had a faint glow. But it didn't just look strange. I could smell something in the air like lightning; I could feel the hairs on my arm stand up. Something in my face felt weird, like I'd suddenly changed direction. I stopped in my tracks, and N smiled.

"Welcome to Chargestone Cave. The rocks here are magnetic... the field here is so special that there are some pokemon who can only evolve here. Many humans and Pokemon alike can sense the magnetism, though science has yet to discern exactly how."

N smiled and walked past me. He seemed to relax at first, but then his strides got shorter, his shaking head turning downward into the dirt. As I looked down, I noticed a lot of shoe prints... human-sized shoe prints.

"Not used to foot traffic?"

"This place used to be quiet. There are many more people here... no doubt drawn by the Tournament in nearby Driftveil City." He shook his head again.

We walked until N brought us into a dead end. I started to turn around, but he kept going like it was an open path. I could see something beyond it, but there was a big blue rock in the way, and I was pretty sure we couldn't squeeze through.

"Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you stand to the right of that rock and push it?"

I raised an eyebrow. "N, we talked about this yesterday. I'm a speed guy, not power." I looked up at the rock. It was taller than me. Was that how people treated Pokemon? Like they were someone to do your grunt work for you?

"Humor me."

So I did. I planted my feet firmly and pressed my fingers into it. I leaned in with all my weight... and it snapped out from me, flying across the path with a crackle, hitting a huge bolder with a clang. I stumbled as it came out from in front of me, like the kid who kept pulling in tug of war after the other guy let go.

I rolled my eyes; he was smirking. "Sorry. I wanted to see it through the eyes of someone who has never heard of it before."

"Yeah, yeah. So what are we doing here?"

"It's my favorite place. And I have friends here. We can observe the trainers here, and you can learn by seeing."

He kept rattling on, but I sort of tuned it out as we snuck through the passages, ducking behind rocks as trainers approached. I didn't really want to hear about how he had the SHadow s nab his one friend here, and about how she was like some Bianca and Cheren, and blah blah blah. N talked, a lot. More than I could stand to listen to. I needed some action. It was another voice talking to me that got my attention.

"I've never seen a Pokemon like you before!"

My head snapped toward the voice; I already knew he was talking to me. I didn't expect a yellow, fuzzy bug tugging at my sock.

"Whoah!" I tried to get my composure back, and I managed to sound calmer as I told him, "Don't sneak up on a guy like that!"

"N, this one's kinda jumpy. Are you sure he's up to saving the Pokemon?" The creature scuttled around me, looking me over.

"Joltik, Sonic is from a world where creatures of your size don't typically talk." N knelt down by the little bug, who scuttled over and brushed up against him.

"A ... world? You mean he's an alien?" Joltik scurried up over to me, poking my shoe. "Man, I thought I saw everything this week."

"This week?"

It was too quiet. I was too quiet. I couldn't let this little insect guy think I was a pushover. "Why, something else happen?"

The joltik jumped up and down a little, "Oh, I just met a trainer who was nice enough to send my daughter with!"

N cocked his head to the side. He almost looked a little betrayed. "Your... daughter?"

"Yeah. I had a daughter while you were gone, N, and she's really naive... I didn't want her getting captured by the bad people, so when I saw a trainer pass through asking her Pokemon what they wanted to do, I sent her off with her." The little bug looked down with all four eyes. "I'll miss her, and I know it's kinda not what we were fighting for, but better that lady than some bad guy who'll hurt her."

N nodded, sadly. "I think we had tunnel vision, Joltik."

So this was one of the guys who helped N before.

"So did you settle down with that girl you were fighting?" The bug scooted back over to N and started scaling his leg. "She seemed really strong! I bet you would have strong babies! What do human babies look like? I've never seen one!"

As I N's pale face turn as red as my shoes, and he stuttered exlanations to Joltik, I realized I wasn't meant to see that. I mean, maybe this was how good trainers and Pokemon got along, the kind Joltik sent his kid off with. But it was too personal. I couldn't help but think of how I feel when people watch me go Super.

So I wandered off, making big enough movements that I was sure N saw where I went. I'd pretend to take a leak. That'd be less awkward.

And as I wandered, I got lost in the atmosphere... the crackle of electricity, the soft blue glow. Until I heard rocks crunch behind me, and I turned. The man I saw there was too big to be N."Well, well, well. Look what the Persian dragged in. A little thing like you shouldn't travel so far from his trainer. It's not safe."

The man smirked, leaning back against the wall of the cavern, a tiny thermos cup in his large hands. I couldn't see his clothes well in the dim light; they were too dark. I couldn't see much of the lady next to him either, because she was almost the same color as the rocks. Her long, spiky tail swished behind her, and she watched me, curious.

I crossed my arms. "What's it to you?" His dark eyes widened a little bit with shock; she cried out, and suddenly I knew she was a Nidoqueen. "I swear, it's like you never saw a guy talk before."

He grinned. "It certainly is rare for Pokemon to speak my language. So tell me, little Pokemon: Who is your trainer?"

Before I realized what I was doing, I felt my eyebrows pulling down. I was so sick of that question.

"He's not my trainer. I'm helping him."

He sipped from the cup. "I didn't know young Mr. Harmonia was in town. Interesting." The man sat his cup down on a rock. I fought a shudder. How did he know who I was with? Just from what I said? "I'm sure his father will be happy to hear it, if he isn't too busy trying to untie a straight jacket to notice."

I felt myself glare. That was a low blow. I wouldn't even talk about Eggman's grandfather that way. I snapped, "I bet your family's real well adjusted."

He winced, and the Nidoqueen growled. After a moment, he replied, "Fair enough. But I raised a son who was able to follow his own vision, one very much opposed to mine. That child only played into his father's hands. I tell you, little Pokemon; what Ghetsis did to your friend is appalling. I would hardly win a father of the year, but I've never used my child that way."

I decided I'd found this world's Eggman. Not fat enough, but close enough otherwise.

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Do you really want to serve a human who is as easily used as a Pokemon?" He picked up his tea again, and sipped. "I could offer you far more: more security, more opportunities for battle, more everything."

I shook my head. "You can't give me what I want."

"What do you want?"

"I want Pokemon to be free. N can't give me that either, but together we can make it happen."

He laughed. It was almost musical. Hs head tipped back a little, but his body stayed still. "That's charming. He still hasn't given up the dream that manipulated him. It will be used to manipulate him still, and you with him. Until he finds his own ambitions, he will forever be his father's pawn."

I tapped my foot. "I don't think you get it. I'm not a Pokemon: I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. Where I come from, I'm the fastest thing alive. I've saved my world countless times, and now I'm here in this one. Who cares where his dream comes frm? I'm gonna make it happen, and no one's gonna stop me."

He stood up, sipping the last of his drink and putting the cap on his thermos. "I have heard boasts like that many a time. Only one of the people behind them ever defeated me, and he went on to be defeated by a boy who beat me in silence." He looked at me, staring deep into my eyes, and suddenly I felt... naked. "Mark my words, Sonic the Hedgehog... No matter how strong you are, someday you'll lose."

I tried to think of something to say, but as he and the Nidoqueen walked away, I couldn't come up with anything.

I must have stood there forever, becuase when N caught up to me, he made no mention of the man. "Sonic, you have put yourself in great peril by wandering off."

"If you're not careful, a trainer will catch you!" Joltik chided, climbing on my foot.

I shook my head. "It's ok.. I met a guy and he didn't try and catch me. He thought I had a trainer, I guess."

N stared at me. "I suppose that would be because of your shoes. That's why I thought you had one."

Joltik seemed to understand a little better, becuase he asked, "So what about him spooked you so badly?"

I looked down at the little guy and glared. "I'm not spooked. But when he asked me who my trainer was, I said, he's not my trainer... and he knew I was talking about N." I looked up at my friend, whose blue eyes were reflecting the light of the cave. I couldn't really see what he felt in there. Kinda like what the guy said. "Then he went on about your dad. I think he was trying to warn me to look out for you. Well, until he asked me to come with him, anyway."

N blinked. "He is right about my father. I don't believe the rumors that he can't function." Then he shook his head. "I hoped you might have met Alder, but you say he asked you to be captured... "

I shrugged. "I must come off as pretty powerful. Still, I learned a lot from meeting him. That pokemon of his hung on every word he said. She didn't even talk to me."

Joltik shook his head, a move he got from N. "A lot of trained pokemon act like that when humans talk. At first it's 'cause you don't understand, but for the others... I think after a while, they start to forget they have a stake in things. They're just there to do whatever's expected of them. Like they don't have their own dream."

...Just like what the man with the Nidoqueen said. Wow.

"I think we have been spotted here enough. Sonic... shall we test your strength and speed against my mass?"

I smiled. That sounded more up my alley.


	3. Attract

We camped in the forest right outside, and in the morning it was back on Reshiram's back. We weren't even in the air long. After a couple minutes, we pulled up alongside a bridge, and N hopped onto the lower tier of it.

I joined him.

"This is the Tubeline Bridge." He raised his arm a little, motioning down the length of the metal bridge. The light filtered down to it in a grid pattern, like a giant window screen was over our heads. In front of us, there was a simple traintrack, the kind you usually see under a high There are no trains today… it is the perfect testing ground."

"You're sure about that?"

He nodded to Reshiram and recalled him into that ball. I flinched again. "I'm sure. This is a good place to see if you can even carry someone of my weight. We can worry about larger distances later." N walked over, standing close to me… too close for someone I didn't really know, but that came with the territory. "So how should I position myself?"

I blinked, frowning. "I think I'll have to do what they call a bridal carry." N stared at me, not blinking. The word seemed to mean nothing to him. "Uh, one hand under your knees, one hand under your back, your arms around my neck. It's something guys usually do to girls."

He blinked. "You seem hesitant. Is the bridal carry only done by romantic partners?"

"No… but it usually is." I shrugged. I didn't mean to make that big of a deal about it. "Here… just let me grab you."

He squatted down, and I did my best to get a hand under his knees, a hand behind his back. As he wrapped his arms around my neck, it felt… strange. A little too familiar. I had a dream about carrying someone, and I wasn't impressed with how it ended.

He must have felt me tense up, because he asked, "Are you all right, Sonic?"

"Fine. I expected you to be heavier."

Then I took off.

I think he expected me to stop at the other end of the bridge, because as I passed into the dimly-lit tunnel he asked me, "Sonic, where are you doing?"

I didn't answer, 'cause I didn't know.

It felt great to take off so fast. It sure wasn't my top speed: having someone who was maybe double my weight in my arms slowed me down. But it was nice to feel the wind at my face, the ground under my feet, the steady power in my legs as my feet hit the ground.

"This isn't a good idea!" N shouted, barely audible. "What if there is a train today?"

"You said there wouldn't be!"

"I didn't account for maintenance! Oh, If you see a path branching off, take it! That should take us into Nimbasa City."

I thought about that for a second as the wind rushed past. One city on a subway line. Specific.

"That's the hub, isn't it? Doesn't that make us more likely to get hit?"

"It makes us more able to get off the track before we see one moving! I don't know if you can get that far in a day, though!"

I rolled my eyes.

It took longer than I wanted, and it left me more winded than I was gonna let on, but eventually I noticed a change in the air and slowed enough to read the signs. Sure enough, they pointed to an emergency exit. I hopped off the track into the little tunnel, and made my way up the stairs. There was a door at the top of them, and N opened it.

Two of the weirdest looking guys I had ever seen were waiting for us.

One wore black and one wore white. That about summed it up. They had long coats with brown stripes. Weird looking guys.

"Mr. Harmonia," the one in black started, "I thought we agreed you would try to keep your friends from playing on the subway."

"Ingo, we needed a safe place to test his speed. It would draw too much attention from greedy trainers overland."

"I'll say!" offered the one in white. "That was faster than our fastest train, and one would assume your friend is faster without such heavy cargo. Amazing."

The twin in black shot his brother a glare.

"We're testing ways to get me to wherever new Team Plasma is operating without someone spotting Reshiram," N explained.

"As I suspected." The twin in black pulled out a packet of papers and handed them to N. "The schedule, including maintenance and tests. Quite a few militants have been taking the green and yellow lines lately."

"Thank you, Ingo, Emmet. And I trust my companion will stay a secret?"

I suddenly remembered I was there… and as I did, the guy in white locked eyes with me. "I've never met a Pokemon who wore shoes and gloves outside of the musical before." He smiled, but I felt like he was studying me. "I've battled many sandslash , and though that is the closest Pokemon to him, a Sandslash he is not."

I weighed in my head. Sure, we were supposed to be a secret, but some guy I didn't know already knew me, and N seemed to trust these guys.

"I'm a hedgehog. There aren't any Pokemon where I'm from."

They were quiet for a moment, before the one in black commented, "Right. Just a Pokemon. Nothing out of the ordinary to see here, just an unusually fast Sandslash. Bravo on your training once again. If confronted by your former associates, I shall have to tell them you are still pushing wild Pokemon to limits trainers cannot hope to surpass." He winked.

His twin replied, "Quite right! At this rate you might be poised to reclaim your old title! This pokemon could outspeed most of your competition. I feel very excited."

N groaned. "I don't intend to pursue that."

"At the very least, you should consider going to Aspertia. The new teacher there is looking for fast Pokemon to demonstrate priority to his students." The white twin grinned. "Cheren's always been good to you, hasn't he?"

"The exit's that way," the black twin said, pointing. "You'll come out near the ferris wheel."

"It was nice meeting you guys!" I called after them.

And then out the door we had to duck behind bushes and stay low, and I gathered at least some of that was because of N, not just me. We were staying so low that it surprised me when I heard him say, "This sure takes me back," and saw his bare hand point upward.

I looked up, and I saw a ferris wheel scratch at the sky. Or at least, that's how I think it looked to him. To me, it looked like a rickety old ferris wheel with huge windows on the cars.

"Sonic, ride it with me." He took my hand and started pulling me toward the gate.

It took everything I had not to cry out in surprise, and I stumbled over something in the path along the way.

He let go of me once we were inside the car, which was a relief, at least. The distant look on his face as he sat down across the car from me, not so much.

"N, what gives? What's up with the ferris wheel?"

He leaned up against the glass, looking out. "When I was trying to awaken Reshiram… my father's operatives were running from a very strong trainer, one I had talked to before. To help them get away, I asked her to ride this ferris wheel with me."

Oh boy. The girl again. This guy had it worse for her than Amy did for me, and everyone realized it but him.

"I don't get it, N. This girl beat you and crushed your dreams. You ran away from her… Why drag me on a ride that reminds you of her?"

He sighed, crossing his arms, making himself small. "That dream needed to be crushed."

I felt my nose wrinkling up. "I don't get it."

"Pokemon and humans being separate is the only way to ensure the safety of either…" He crossed his legs, but he pointed them toward me, which was a little weird. N's body language had been kinda confusing, but that was the point when I realized what a disconnect there was between body and mind. Didn't he realized he was flirting with me? Or was he flirting with the ghost of that girl in my place?

"But…?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. I felt a little guilty, but I couldn't let him notice what he was doing. Every so often he reminded me of Eggman, of Knuckles, of Shadow… I couldn't let him remind me of Amy, too.

"But that's no way to live. Humans and Pokemon improve each other's lives. I was raised alongside Pokemon who had been abused, but many, perhaps even most Pokemon who live with humans want to be there. A world where Pokemon live free alongside humans is possible when truth and ideals mix. It can never be perfect.. but it can never be at all without both." He looked across the car at me, strange blue eyes staring into mine, and my heart sped up in my chest. "Sonic… You were right. A hero of truth can't build an ideal world alone. It took her opposition to break me free of my father's control… and it will take your influence to show me the things I would not think to do… that must be done."

I gulped. "Long as you dont' get all goo-goo eyes, I'm ok with that."

He blinked. "Goo-goo eyes?"

I sighed. "N, dude, you're in love with her. It's a little weird when you start comparing us."

He stared at me a moment. His mouth stayed closed, but I could see his jaw fall a little inside it.

"What?" I asked.

He blinked. "I had no intention of making you uncomfortable. I… I know some humans find that idea unpleasant, but it is so foreign to me I can't even understand being upset."

I slapped myself in the face. "No, no, that's not what I mean. It'd be worse if you were a girl. There's this girl who follows me around back home, but she doesn't care whether I want her or not, and anyone getting like that makes me want to run away."

He nodded, understanding. "So then the idea that I might be attracted to you only bothers you for reminding you of her."

"Yeah. Well, it would be a little uncomfortable anyway." I smiled, sheepish. "It's always uncomfortable when someone feels something you don't feel back."

That got a rare grimace out of him, and he turned his legs away from me. Wondered what I triggered. "Well, I can assure you… I'm not attracted to Pokemon. But perhaps you're right… about that trainer, and my feelings for her."

I felt like the walls were closing in on me. It had gotten too creepy, and the only thing I knew how to do when someone had the hots for me was to run away.

Except… except in that dream. The girl liked me, but she didn't push, she didn't pry… and I acted like I didn't notice…

"Sonic, are you all right?"

I jumped, blinking. Suddenly N was on the other side of the car, near the open door, his hand extended toward me..

"I'm fine. Just thinking about a girl I used to know." I didn't take his hand, but I got up and followed him out. As we snuck away, I looked back at the ferris wheel. It did was pretty tall. And I hadn't looked out, taken in the view… I was too busy dealing with him. Too busy dealing with the ghost of someone who wasn't even there. I fought a shudder. I'd get back to that ferris wheel and see it sometime, without N and the ghost of Hilda to distract me.

After we saved the Pokemon.

He lead me outside of town to a little clearing, and we made our beds in a little hidden grotto.

When N lay down, Reshiram curled up on the other side of him. I went to the other side of the dragon, walked a couple steps, and sprawled out there.

"It's supposed to be quite cold tonight, Sonic." N said.

Geuh.

"That's why I'm on this side of the big fire dragon, dude," I lied.

Reshiram gave me an odd look, but then closed his eyes. His, her… I don't even know.

I lay there for a long time, wondering how much I've been running from.


	4. Rest

It was cold that night, but after all that weirdness, I didn't feel much like huddling up to anyone. I stayed the same distance from Reshiram I started at, and boy, did I come to regret it. I was in and out all night, and when I did sleep it was full of dark dreams of girls getting the better of me: Amy, Blaze, Shahra, Merlina, even friend with the hat. Not a good night.

What was weird was that when I woke up, I felt weight all over me, and I felt oddly warm, although not warm enough. I was so tired I thought about just turning over and going back to sleep… but that weight was in my way. So I opened my eyes and looked down at myself.

All I saw was red.

I started screaming and flailing, shouting… and what felt like a dozen little brown eyes all turned up to look at me.

"Jeez dude, chill out!" One little voice shouted.

"Ingrate!"

"Wouldja rather freeze to death?"

And then a cool voice, speaking quickly, from nearby. "I told you all he wasn't awake when he said yes."

I glanced over in that direction. N was stroking Reshiram's head, and tears were flowing down the big dragons' face.

"What's wrong?" I started to get up, but the monkeys—the Pansears—who were keeping me warm were too heavy.

"Kyurem," N apologized, and he didn't need to say anymore. I didn't understand much of it, but somehow Reshiram, Kyurem, and the other dragon were linked. I could understand that. I remembered how I felt when Shadow…

How I felt.

Some of the Pansears had climbed off me, and when I tried to get comfortable with the rest, I realized my arms were stiff and sore. Maybe from carrying N? But I still felt cold even with a bunch of fire monkeys on top of me. Was I sick? I knew you couldn't catch a cold from getting cold… but any stress can make an illness worse…

One of the little Pansears came up and patted my head. "It's ok, Sandslash guy. We'll keep you warm while Reshiram is busy. You can rest all you need to."

But I glanced over. "But we have to help Kyurem."

"We will accomplish nothing today," N commanded. It sounded so final… and his eyes were boring into me. Was it because of Reshiram? Or…

One of the Pansears grabbed something off my arm and stuck it in his mouth. Ew. But I felt itchy where it had been. I…

"What's happening to me?"

"I think you picked up a minor illness young Pokemon often get, judging by the mites the Pansear have been picking off you all morning. It will pass, and when it is over, you will be stronger. Many Pokemon fight during the illness… but Pokemon improve just as much if they wait until they are well. Why chance it?"

"'Cause there's no time to waste." I started to sit up, but a few of the pansear tried and failed to push me down. I was stiff and sore and tired… but I sure wasn't weak. Enough of them had gotten off that I was able to sit up.

"You're not even a Pokemon," Reshiram snapped through the tears, and I was so surprised I froze in place. All the Pokemon froze in place around me..

"I… It's nice to hear someone say that, Resh."

"You know I only speak the truth," he spat. "But no one here will feel better for you working while you are unwell, especially since N's lack of social graces and my pride may have weakened you to start with. You're going to let those Pokemon take care of you and you're going to rest as much as you can stand it, if for no other reason than to give me_one less friend to worry about."_

I blinked. After a minute, I looked away, smiling. "Well… since ya put it that way, Reshiram.. Kinda hard to argue. I don't have to… stay completely still, do I?"

The dragon rolled his eyes and looked away from me.

"Just don't do anything stupid," the Pansear who touched my face scolded. "You have a lot of people asking about you, you know! Cobalion will have our heads if we let you get hurt!"

I didn't recognize the name, but it made N's eyes widen.

"Cobalion?"

"The leader of the Swords of Justice," the Pansear explained. "He said there was talk of a blue Sandslash who was going to stop the humans in black, and if we saw him we should help him."

I nodded. "Well, thanks. Hey, next time you see Cobalion, will ya do me a favor?"

All the Pansears nodded eagerly, a few scurrying up closer to listen.

"Tell him I said thanks, and I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm not a Sandslash."

At that point, they all went crazy. There were so many questions I couldn't keep track of them all, and they finally made me realize my head hurt. It took a good ten minutes of shushing to get them to ask one question at a time. The next thing I knew, I was telling them my story. I'd gotten to the Death Egg by sunset, and took an early night. It was a great day. N said I'd probably be back on my feet tomorrow.

It was the last great day I had for a while. I don't really remember the next couple. I lost almost an entire week to the fever. N said I kept asking for Merlina.

He was about to take me to a Pokemon center, or a human hospital, the day I came out of it. He kept telling me to take it easy, but I didn't need much telling at first. By the time I was antsy to get moving again, he had made a day trip to a library and brought back tons of books. I spent another week being handed one every time I even thought about running, and I'm a sucker for books, so I read. When I wasn't reading, N was telling me about his family, and I was a captive audience. I kinda hoped I'd get to test my speed against the Shadow Triad he told me about; he said they were faster than any Pokemon, and gave me some tips on how to handle them.

N couldn't help but speculate about why I got so sick. Humans were immune to that virus, he said, and Pokemon actually benefited from having it. It was completely foreign to me, so he thought I had no defenses against it. He was just starting to admit that I might not be a Pokemon.

Two weeks after I got sick, someone goosed me right after I woke up. I was so scared it might be Amy that I took off running as fast as I could. I'd been sick, so I expected it to take me forever to hit the sound barrier, but I felt the telltale boom seconds early. I screeched to a stop, and found myself standing at a gate in the middle of a sandstorm.

Took me a couple minutes to travel all the way back to Lostlorn Forest. I was laughing too hard to go fast. I kept my new top speed to myself.

The next day, we decided to celebrate my recovery with a run to a place called Abundant Shrine.

We took the light green subway line. I was careful not to go so fast this time. For one, that was just easier, although I didn't feel as tired as I expected. For two, well, N didn't like going that fast. And for three… I decided to limit myself to the speed the trains could do. That'd hide us better.

I was thinking about that as we ran, and as we climbed out of the tunnel, I realized how strange it was that I was trying to stay hidden. Still, it was important. My little brush with the Pokerus had convinced N I wasn't a Pokemon, but nobody else saw that… and I ran so fast so soon after being so sick that I had my doubts. Plus, I remembered what the guy in Chargestone Cave had said about N being manipulated, and what N himself had said about his father's skill at using people. Saving Kyurem dependent on Ghetsis having no idea where we were.

As we emerged into the sunlight, N lead me over to the bottom of a waterfall. He handed me a plastic bag, and told me to put my shoes, socks and gloves in and seal it tightly. I fought not to shudder as I disrobed. He knelt by the water, and stuck his fingers in.

"My friends… I want to show my friend the shrine, and he has no Pokemon to carry him up the waterfall. Would one of you be so kind as to help both of us there?"

After a moment, a big orange and white fish with a horn popped out of the water, glaring at him. "We don't help humans we don't know around here!" She barked. She was a Seaking. I tried not to laugh at the difference between her sex and her name.

"Not even the Hero of Truth?" N asked, a coy little smirk on his lips.

"Huh. Thought you'd be taller. You know Sandslashes are weak to water, right?" the Seaking swam over to the shore, and N climbed onto her back. Another Seaking, this one with a larger horn, popped up and over to me. I climbed onto his back carefully, letting my feet sink into the water, and grabbed onto his horn.

Then they swam into the waterfall.

It was cold. It was wet. I held onto that guy's horn for dear life. I couldn't breathe. I was sure I got some into my lungs.

The Seakings were laughing as the one I was on bucked me onto the shore. N's eyes were sad, but his lip was curled up. And someone was screaming. That was me.

"Are you sure he's not a ground-type Pokemon, N?" asked the lady.

"Nah, he's real hot to the touch. Fire-type for sure."

They ragged on me for a few minutes, but I shrugged it off like I did the water. N was soaking wet, but it didn't seem to bother him. Then we made our way into the shrine.

The first thing I noticed is that there were children everywhere.

Human kids, Pokemon kids, you name it. Some of 'em too young to be out unsupervised. One kid who musta been two made a beeline for me and hugged me. Others mobbed N, asking if he was N, who's that Pokemon with him, all sorts of stuff.

He told them I was a shiny Sandslash, and my dad had been a Luxray.

Ookay.

We made our way through the empty fields, the throngs of kids, to a simple shrine. And a woman in a white labcoat was standing there facing it, holding a mirror up to the sky. N grabbed my naked hand and started to pull me toward the bushes, but then a pair of gold eyes locked on us, and she smiled. I'd never seen woman with such a big mouth. I don't mean talking, I mean her mouth was huge, like a guy's.

"Ah, hello! N, is it? Maybe I can pick your brain about this."

He stopped, hand stil in mine. "That… is not the reaction I normally get."

She walked over, holding the mirror in her left hand, offering her right to shake. "Professor Burnet. I study Pokemon dreams. Tell me, do the Pokemon have any myths about Landorus or the reveal glass?"

He shook his head. "None unique to them, no."

"Well, I just asked becuase my research assistant was able to catch Landorus in the interdream zone, but he looked very strange… and when she had him look into this mirror, he changed back to the form we so often see in the story books," She looked into the mirror herself. "All I see in this mirror is that I look fabulous."

I smiled and nodded, pretending any of that made sense. I had no idea about the other stuff and… there are a lot of things I'd call a black bodysuit and white labcoat. Fabulous ain't one of 'em.

"Is your friend here some kind of Shaymin forme?" She looked me up and down. "He certainly has the bearing of a legendary Pokemon. You didn't find him in the Entralink, did you?"

"He's a hedgehog. Think of them as a subspecies of human from another reality."

"'Dreams are just another reality,'" she quipped. Something about the way she said it made me think it was a quote. I thought I heard a noise behind us, but I didn't dare look away.

"I do not think Sonic is the product of my dreams. He is every bit as real as Reshiram."

"And yet Reshiram was awakened by your dreams, wasn't he?" She turned and looked at me. "Would you take a peek into this mirror for me, Sonic? For science?"

I started to answer "No," when a voice behind me shrieked out half of my answer: "N!"

We all turned and looked… a woman was standing there, dripping and panting, hands on her knees, glasses askew on her nose. I didn't recognize her, but I could see that Burnet and N both did.

"Bianca," N finally spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"Cheren… told me… to find you!" she panted.

"How'd you know he'd be here?" I asked.

"Called leaders… Lenora… called subway… Ingo and Emmet…"

"Enough," N commanded, walking over to her. He took her by the shoulders, gentle. "Bianca, why did Cheren send for me?"

"Plasma… Frigate… Giant… Chasm!"

He released her, stepping back, seeming stunned. I started to wonder why Resh hadn't said anything… but N had put him in his ball when we started running.

"N, this is what we've been waiting for. Come on." I walked over to him, ready to scoop him up.

He looked at Burnet. "Protect Bianca until she can fend for herself." He glanced down at me. "Sonic. I'm ready when you are. We'll go over the top of Reverse Mountain."

I nodded to the ladies and picked N up. He locked his arms around my neck, and I took off running. I knew my mind should have been more focused on what we were going to find at the Chasm, but I kept thinking about that mirror instead.


	5. Glaciate

It seemed like it took forever to get there. Going up this giant volcano slowed me down some, and so did the creepy vibe I got from a little house we passed along the way. Running close to water spooked me, too. But eventually we got to it… a huge crater in the ground.

N instructed me to use my speed to get on top of the crater's edge; most people took a little cavern in side, so he said this would help us stay under the radar.

Once over the edge, I was blown away. Inside was a huge forest… and deeper in, a huge… ship. It looked almost like a pirate ship, but I'd seen enough of Eggman's work to notice the propulsion. An airship. I did not like where that was going.

I saw a lot of people fighting down on the forest floor, so I slowed down so they would be less likely to hear me. At one low dip in the crater's side, N told me to hop down and run through the forest, so I did.

Little pink Pokemon with black ears and curly tails greeted us, but they couldn't keep up. Still, they must have sent word ahead, because after a few seconds of picking speed back up, some of them had begun to arrange themselves along the path, pointing the direction I needed to go. I pulled N tighter as I turned the sharp corners, and followed their stubby little pointed fingers until I found myself at the bottom of a gradual slope. I climbed it.

The inside was freezing, and I could hear something coming from a deeper chamber. N hopped out of my arms, and looked around the room, as if he expected something. Tons of Pokemon crawled of the woodwork toward him.

"My friends… Kyurem is in trouble.. and we are here to save him. But in my travels, I have heard stories of a trainer who is devoted to the same task. Ghetsis expects me to intervene, and has prepared for me. He may not expect a different foe. I wish to wait ouside the place where the confrontation will occur… but any who pass through this corridor will see me. Might some of your psychic friends be able to conceal me?"

I had to give it to N. He could be a great orator. I wasn't the only one who thought so, because these big metal things started coming out of the crowd. Some had two arms and floated, but others looked like some kinda four-legged insect made of blue steel. They started nudging N and me along. Once they pushed us up against a far wall by the door, they turned and faced away from us.. and for just a second, I couldn't see N. Then I stared off to my right, and focused, and sure enough, he was there.

N didn't seem phased by it. He looked at me and grinned, but then turned toward the doorway.

I saw the kid pass us first… A goofy-looking girl with brown hair and shorts, marching along, a determined grin on that chubby little face. I started to move, but N reached over and stopped me.

"I will save that trainer if this proves too much to handle, but this is the trainer who has beaten Team Plasma every step of the way so far. We should show some faith." He turned to me. "If I must intervene, you need to stay here, and wait until you are sure I have nothing more to contribute. I will shout for you… or you will hear both Reshiram and all six this girl's Pokemon fall."

"I've never had to hold back like this, N."

"Neither have I."

It wasn't long that we stood there before the I heard ranting, and N started frowning. It was a man's voice, high and harsh.. Probably his father. I didn't hear the boyish voices N had told me to expect from the Shadow Traid, though. Finally, after a minute, I heard that voice shout "Glaciate," and a sound like ice crackling, a girl's scream… N opened his pokeball, climbed onto Reshiram, and flew off, shouting.

I tried to listen for what was happening within, but something else quickly got my attention.

A man walked into the cave, some kinda weird blue headgear wrapped around his face. Everyone else we'd seen pass by had ignored us, the blue Pokemon N called Metagross doing their job… but this guy looked me right in the eyes, and then approached.

"It seems I underestimated N," he commented to me, eyes briefly darting into the cavern. "I didn't expect him to bring this much backup."

He thought I was a Pokemon, so I crossed my arms and glared.

"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to see who wins. Your Metagross friends can stop protecting you, now. At this point I know better than to try and take a Pokemon out from under Ghetsis' son." He crossed over to the other side of the doorway and pressed his ear against the rock, listening.

Who was this guy? I scowled at him, and I was starting to growl when I heard a scream that was all too familiar. Not the scary guy's, not the girl's… it was N's. Before I could stop myself, the name slipped out of my mouth. I started running into the chamber, but the man with the weird headgear snagged me by the arm. Normally, I'd have wrenched out and kept going, but for some reason, I hesitated.

"That would be foolish. How do you know he can't do to you what he's done to Reshiram and Kyurem?"

"I'm not a Pokemon," I replied, but to be honest, I wasn't so sure.

"Be that as it may, how do you know how you'll be affected by the machine? What did your trainer tell you to do?"

I blinked. "He said to stay back here until I heard everyone fall, or until he shouted for me." Then I shook my head. "But he isn't my trainer!"

"Humans are superior tacticians to Pokemon, even legendary ones, and he's one of humanity's best." He tilted his head to the side, looking at me, grip tightening just a little on my arm. "And yet your ability to resist his commands, no matter how politely they're given, is even more extraordinary than your use of specific human language."

"I told you, dude, N's my friend, not my trainer."

A horrible screaming came out of the room… the old man's. Ghetsis'. I let it go, relaxing a little, even with that guy's hand on my arm.

"Suit yourself," he let go of me. "Your friend has failed, but Rosa has succeeded. The potential of Pokemon will be unlocked with love instead of brutality… And your trainer is going to need all the love you can return to him… he's more Pokemon than man in many ways, just like you're more man than Pokemon." He turned and started walking out of the cave. This time, I reached over and grabbed his arm, but something about the movement felt strange and wrong to me.

"Wait. Dude, what's your name? How do you know so much?"

"My name is Colress," he boasted, turning back to me. "And I'm a scientist who studies the full potential of Pokemon. If you want to unlock yours… I might have more ideas than you'd expect. I'll be taking the ship somewhere warm and wet. Come find me. And bring N with you… I'd like to meet him."

He wrenched his arm out of my hand, and somehow I found I didn't have it in me to stop him. He walked out of the cavern, and the Metagross started nudging me back over to the wall.

Then N flew out on the back of a battered looking Reshiram, held out his hand, and beckoned.

Before I realized what I was doing, I was on Reshiram's back. N was in tears, and my head was throbbing.

N cried for a long time. He was inconsolable. We flew for a while, and he just bawled. I could tell Reshiram was upset too, but not half as much. I watched the Pokemon we passed in the air, since no one was talking. It was mostly those Swan things and birds called Tranquils, but at one point we passed a big clay ghost thing going the opposite direction, and I thought I saw a guy on the back. After a while, after we landed at this big gate in the mountains, Resh finally told me about what happened: Reshiram's defeat, his fusion with Kyurem, and their fight against Rosa. She won, of course.

"Being one again wasn't really the problem. It's not like we initially split for our own reasons, " Reshiram explained. "It was how it happened, and what we were made to do. I wouldn't mind trying it again, with N and that child supervising. But…" Reshiram reached over and brushed a claw through N's hair. "N can't bear the suffering of others. And he's not used to feeling so powerless, either."

I wanted to ask him about how weird I was acting in the cavern, about how that Colress guy bossed me around, but I thought better of it.

"N… buddy…" I started approach him.

"Leave me," he snapped, his voice dark. Then he took a deep breath, and explained more softly: "You were right, and I was wrong. A hero of ideals perceived the truth more clearly than I. Soon, I will be able to accept your counsel…. but for now, I'd like to be alone with my shame and my friend."

Ouch. Like I'm not.

"Sure. Meet back up here some other time, or what?"

"No. There's a castle in the mountains… the locals can lead you there. That's where you will find me. Go. Make your own path. This world should be safe, now."

He turned away. I looked up at Reshiram, who frowned.

"All this time you've seen the world of Pokemon through our eyes," Reshiram explained, patting N's head. "He may be motivated by guilt, but the idea is true. How can you ever fight for a cause you only understand from one angle? That is what put N in this situation to begin with. Go see Unova, and talk to Pokemon and humans for yourself."

I nodded, and gave a little wave. "All right; you guys know how to find me if ya need to. Good luck."

And then I took off running.

I blinked a lot as I went. I told myself it was because I was going faster than I normally do on a casual run, but I'll be honest: it was a lot more than that. I'd just been rejected by the only friend I had in this world. I felt weird, physically and emotionally, ever since we set foot in that cave. I'd been threatened by countless people here. I had no idea how I was going to go home, or even what artifact I was going to have to find or enemy I was going to have to stop. And I was bone tired. The sun was setting, and I'd been up all day.


	6. Echoed Voice

**Author's Note: **Please mind that this story was written in its entirety before Pokemon XY and Sonic Lost World were released. I have not made major changes since.

* * *

By the time I stopped, I was back at that shrine again. The two women, the one with the big mouth, and the blonde with the glasses, were still there, chatting in the dark. A big pink thing floated next to the blonde, nuzzling her.

My arrival made some noise, so they both turned to see me. "I take it it didn't go well?" the professor asked.

"Oh… I didn't even have to get into it," I explained, feeling like I was lying. "N and that kid saved the day."

"But he's not with you?" The blonde bit her lip, worried.

"He had some stuff to take care of. Said I should see Unova for myself." I smiled, hoping it didn't look as fake as it felt. "There's a lot of people to talk to." I was a little nervous talking to the blonde, but she was already treating me more like an adult than any of the other humans I'd met, N included, and she already knew about what I apparently was.

"It sure is fun to travel, but it can be pretty scary to travel by yourself," she offered. "You must be really tough if he sent you off by alone, but that doesn't mean people aren't going to bother you."

I felt a chill creep down my spine, and I tried not to shudder along with it. "Well, they have to catch me first. And I'm faster than any Pokemon I've met."

"Could I take your picture in my Pokedex?" She asked. "I'm Bianca, and I'm Professor Juniper's research assistant. This would be great for our research on the kinds of Pokemon in Unova." She had a heck of a smile.

"Not too bright, this one," the pink thing apologized, nuzzling her. I tried not to frown, because Bianca didn't react, meaning she didn't understand it.

"I'm Sonic, and I'd prefer not to have my picture taken." I offered my hand to her, and tried to banish memories of "Bartleby the Scrivener" from my mind. "The less people know about me, the less they'll try and catch me."

She had a really light handshake. "Oh right! I'm sorry. So are you native to the region? You can tell me that much, right?"

Burnet rolled her eyes next to Bianca. Burnet seemed kinda spacey to me, so if she was rolling her eyes at Bianca, the kid had to have a reputation. She wasn't being ditzy enough to justify that kinda reaction.

"No. I'm from a world where there are no Pokemon: Just humans and people like me. We all speak the same language, and we're all more or less the same."

"Oh, you're not from this world?" The blonde reached into her bag. "Then you'll need some information on all the Pokemon…"

"I read some books from a place called Nacrene Library…"

"They won't have everything. You need it at your fingertips." She pulled out a little device, and offered it to me. "Take a Pokedex. I'll say I dropped it. I'm kind of air-headed, so everyone will believe that, and no one will be all that mad."

Burnet gave a low whistle. She seemed impressed. But Bianca was just smiling at me, holding out the little phone-looking thing like it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I took it. "Thanks Bianca. That's really nice of you." I cradled it in my hands, looking at it. I didn't want to let on how touched I was, partly 'cause I wanted to seem tough, and partly 'cause I felt too touched for… me. Why was I so emotional? Why did I want human companionship so badly? Why did it hurt me so badly that N had sent me away?

"So where are you staying? I don't see any shiny stuff behind your eyes, so I'm guessing you sleep at night. After all, you said you were basically human…"

…Air-headed. Uh huh. Sure. She was like a human Amy: way, way smarter than she let on.

"Oh, I got a place in mind," I said. "I should get to it… gotta time it just right with the trains. But it sure was nice meeting you ladies. I'll keep my eyes peeled for you."

"It was nice meeting you, Sonic!" Bianaca cheered. "If you ever need anything, I live and work in Nuvema Town!"

"And you can find me in Castelia City; I've been staying with Fennel. Come over for ice cream some time!"

I nodded to them, and ran off again. I found myself under the ferris wheel, skidding to a stop. I started to walk toward Lostlorn to stay with the Pansears there, but my foot kicked something and sent it rolling. It looked like a phone… so picked it up and went on my way. My old friends in the grotto were happy to see me, and I nodded off. I didn't remember my dreams, but I knew they were nightmares.

I was awakened by a horrible, musical beeping.

"N?" asked, forgetting he wasn't there.

The beeping came again.

"It's a cross-transceiver, you fool," barked an unfamiliar voice. "Are you going to answer it?"

Sleepily, I looked for the source of the beep, until I found a little phone… the device I'd picked up the day before. I realized it had a camera on it when I saw the weird little lens, so I pointed that away from me, and started pressing buttons.

"Um, hello?" came a soft voice from the other end.

"Yeah?" I muttered, rubbing my eye.

"Um, I don't know who you are, and I can't see you.. but I'm the owner of the Cross-transceiver you've just answered. But even if you looked I'm using my old one, and it's audio-only, so you can't see me."

"That's fine dude," I muttered, even though I knew the person on the other end was a woman. Probably human. "I take it ya want this thing back."

"Yes, but I'm not somewhere where I can come get it right now. Could you hang onto it for a bit? I'll call you when I'm near where I dropped it."

"Hey, no problem. I can be anywhere in Unova in the drop of a hat."

"You're sure you don't mind?" She sounded shocked. "I… My name's… Yancy." She hesitated a little, but I was too tired to really make sense of it then.

"Sonic. I'm Sonic. Nice to meet ya."

"It's nice talking to you, too. When work calms down, I'll come get it. Please take care of it until then."

"Sure. Don't work too hard, Yancy."

"Heh. Well, thanks again. Bye."

I heard a click on the other end, then a low chuckle behind me.

"Not too bright are you, Sandslash? Now you're going to have to show yourself to her to deliver the thing."

Finally I turned my head over my shoulder, to look at the source of the snooty voice. I knew it was a Pokemon, but I was surprised when I saw him. He was tall, and kinda noble-looking. He walked on all fours. And he was glaring at me with the nastiest look in his eyes.

"I've spent weeks listening to Pokemon up and down this region talk about the Blue Sandslash who will save the Pokemon from human oppression," he lectured. "The blue Sandslash who acts as the Hero of Truth's courier in his quest to fight Team Plasma. The fastest thing in Unova. All I see is an idiot, a Pokemon who speaks human speech without half the intelligence of one."

I blinked. "Geez, no wonder everyone's afraid of you, Cobalion. You're about as inviting as a vat of acid."

I half expected him to charge at me, but I got a smirk. "I didn't know your ability was slow start."

"Pretty sure it'd be Speed Boost, actually."

He tilted his head to the side. "You've been studying Pokemon."

"Reading. I like to read, when I'm not running or saving people."

He shook his head, changing the subject. "I wanted to thank you for your actions. I'm not fond of your friend, but he was instrumental in flushing out Ghetsis. Now that Team Plasma has been neutralized again, it's relatively safe for wild Pokemon here. I've heard you intend to start a war on Pokeballs, but that would hurt wild Pokeon before it'd help them."

I crossed my arms. "You really just wanted to tell me not to mess with the pokeballs thing, and go back about my business."

"The kind of force one would need to put a stop to the practice of using Pokeballs would surely bring retribution onto unaffected wild Pokemon. We fight hard enough to keep the humans out of our homes; as we speak my colleague Terrakion is hunting an especially meddlesome opportunist back at Kyurem's cavern, one who showed up within hours of Team Plasma's departure. Imagine how difficult it would become to protect our homes if humanity had something to be angry about."

I stood up, stretching. I wanted to run right to help his friend with the opportunist, but I didn't want to go back to that cavern until I understood exactly what went wrong there. No sense walking into a trap. I changed the subject. "Oh, we're ok right here, so nevermind those other people suffering. That's responsible."

He growled at me. "How naive. Humans can't be stopped, and as a race they can't be reasoned with. A select few are respectable: I briefly worked with N's desired mate to help her get to a point where she coud oppose him, and Terrakion is rather partial to a bold trainer from Aspertia. But as a race, they're foolish, angry creatures who lash out if you try to take from them anything they've stolen."

Well, I found this world's Shadow.

"I think you're the one who's naive, Cobalion," I snapped. I walked over to him, closer. "I just had to sit in the next room and listen to Team Plasma try to combine Reshiram and Kyurem together and control them. Do you really think you're safe if some team decides they need legendary power, but going after the dragons would get N and Hilda's attention?" I crossed my arms. "Plus, aren't you all about protecting Pokemon habitats? What if people want to develop a place like this, but you're guarding it?"

"Then I will fight like I always have."

Definitely Shadow.

"I have this friend, Cobalion. He reminds me a lot of you. He sure sounds like you. A bunch of scientists made him. But the government was scared of him. Everyone thought the government might take him… but they're a good government, so they won't hurt me, right? First they tried to capture him and the other experiment. They failed. Then they killed all the scientists who made them. And when that was all done and over with? They killed a little girl who'd seen it all. The only survivor was a five year old boy. All human, except my friend."

He glared back at me. "Your point, Sandslash?"

"I'm not a Sandslash. I'm a Hedgehog. And my point is this: You say they're so angry and unreasonable. You don't know how far they'll go! You can't rest easy until every last Pokemon is free from Pokeballs. You say I'm naive, but I can see it getting worse before it gets better whether I do something or not."

He thought about that for a minute. I scowled at him. There was a lot more I was thinking, but I didn't dare say it. I knew the guy for five minutes. I wasn't about to tell him what he wanted, even if I was pretty sure I knew what it was.

He turned away from me, then looked over his shoulder, back at me. "Perhaps I misjudged you, Sonic. You're hopelessly idealistic… but perhaps naive isn't the word. I can't help you on your quest to free Pokemon from humans, but there are Pokemon who can. Victini is a herald of Victory; whatever human possesses him shall win all his battles. Uxie, Azelf, and Mespirit have power over human feelings. Cresselia can influence dreams. And should you ever meet the other hero of ideals and her partner, Zekrom… I have no doubt they'll agree with you,"

Coballion ran off, leaving me with more questions than answers. I tried to think of what to do, or where to go…

Castelia City was closer than Nuvema Town.


	7. Chatter

Running to the city was easy enough, although I wished I had some goggles in the desert.

Running THROUGH it was hard.

There were people everywhere… I had to sneak through alleys and under bushes, and I had no idea where to find Burnet. I tried to make sense of signs I could see, but I couldn't get close enough to read some of 'em. Most of 'em were out on the crowded streets.

Eventually I saw something promising: A building with a huge sign out front. Still, to get to the door, I'd have to go out in front, where people might see me. I made my way around the place, but I didn't see any open windows. Finally, I gave up, and walked onto the street, angling for the front door.

"HEY!" came a surprisingly deep voice. I looked to the sound, but I noticed most of the people passing by ignored it.

There was a boy there wearing red and blue, with blue-black spiky hair. "Sandslash! I told you to stay close to me!" he marched over and grabbed my hand. I was about to pull away, but he gave it just a little squeeze, and I decided to play along. Still, I watched his other hand, making sure it didn't go to his Pokeball belt.

"Sand." I muttered, glaring, trying to play the part.

"Don't give me that look. Come on." He gave my arm a gentle tug, and I followed him.

The people in there glanced our way; a few looked shocked. He snapped, "And no, you can't have a massage from the nice lady until you let me wash that stupid paint off."

Clever. He pulled me into an elevator. And when the door closed, he spoke.

"All right, level with me: Do you have a trainer or not? Because running around a city like that is just asking for trouble."

I looked him in the eyes. Red eyes. "I'm not even a Pokemon, dude."

"Well, you're a Pokemon until bad people decide you aren't. Coming into the city like this was a bad idea. What are you even doing here?" The elevator dinged, and he frantically pressed the "close door" button.

"I came to talk to Professor Burnet."

He grinned. "You're in luck. I'm here to see Professor Fennel."

"Huh. Imagine that."

"I'm Hugh." He held out his hand again.

"Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." I shook it. Strong grip. Gentler than I expected.

"I don't know who'll be in that room, so play it cool and act like you're mine." But then he smiled at me. "But as long as you're with me… no one's putting you in a Pokeball."

He pressed the button on the elevator, and it opened to the sound of laughter. Girls laughing. There were machines everywhere, wires and tubes, all hooked up to… a bed? Professor Burnet and a woman with a flower in her long hair were sitting on it, while a young girl with brown hair, and a woman with longer hair were sitting on a desk. They all had ice cream cones.

They must not have noticed us at first, because the woman with the flower teased Burnet, "I think I see your roots~"

Burnet frowned, adjusting her goggles on her head. "I don't dye. You're being ridiculous."

"Hi there. Hugh, was it?" the little girl said.

Then all eyes were on us. "Oh, hi Hugh! What can I help you with?" asked the woman with the flower.

Burnet winked at me, but said nothing.

"I… I have a question about human dreams."

"Well, I'm no expert on those, but go on?" She hopped off the bed and approached, leaving Burnet there, licking her ice cream.

"Well… Last night I brought my sister's pu-Liepard home to her… She had a dream about a Zoroark. And it said… 'Soon.'" Hugh looked down. "It seemed ominous to me. She had it before Liepard and I got home. And she had it again today. Can humans' dreams be real?"

Burnet laughed. "If we could answer that question, we wouldn't be working out of a lab in a Castelia City high rise." She bit the top off her ice cream.

"Burnet!" the lady Hugh was talking to, whom I can only guess was Fennel, blushed a bit. "But she's right, Hugh. We know human dreams can correlate to what humans are thinking, but we haven't been able to link them with outside events in any reliable way. Some psychic humans may have premonitions, but they're not reliable enough for me to say your sister's dream means anything outside of herself."

"Maybe she doesn't believe your really brought her Liepard home?" the brown-haired woman offered.

"Do we have enough ice cream for the boy and his Sandslash?" Burnet asked.

"Cheren and Bianca bailed on us," the little girl said. "I'll just give them theirs." She scurried out of the room.

"That looks like an interesting Sandslash forme you have there, Hugh. My name is Dr. Burnet, and I study the interdream zone. You caught him in the Entralink, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Can I examine him?"

He looked at me, and I flipped him a twitch of a smile.

"Maybe, but he's kinda shy. Especially around girls." He glanced at Fennel and the woman with brownish hair.

"Kris and I will go help Amanita with the ice cream." Fennel nodded to her, and the two women left.

Burnet watched them go, and then laughed. "Sonic. What brings you here?"

"I dunno who else to ask. I didn't know Bianca, and I don't know this guy either, but I don't 'think I'm gonna get you alone. I need to know everything you know about Giant Chasm."

"I'd excuse myself," Hugh offered, "But it'd look strange. Sonic, I don't catch Pokemon who doesn't want to be caught. Team Plasma brainwashed my sister's Purrloin with Pokeballs."

"Is that the only way? With Pokeballs?"

"Not in the least." Burnet cleared her throat. "A madman from Sinnoh was able to control Pokemon using pineal extracts from the Lake Trio a few years back. Then there's capture styluses, though they're wholly temporary. And a scientist by the name of Colress has been working on creating Pokeball like obedience effects without the reduction in power that comes with Pokeballs."

"He was at the cave!" I cupped my hand over my mouth, realizing I was getting loud. Then I offered more quietly, "I'm no Pokemon, but I felt weird inside that cave in the chasm. It was hard to make decisions. It reminded me of this time I was posessed by an ancient demon, only listless insteada grumpy." I didn't need to mention the turning into a werehog part.

Hugh blinked. "When I was looking for Purrloin on that ship… on my way in, I passed a guy heading out with this freaky looking cane. And my Unfezant… The guy turned his head. I don't understand Pokemon or anything, but he's seemed ruffled ever since."

"Reshiram said Ghetsis controlled him with some kind of cane…"

"A Colress device. Sonic, you were responding to the Colress device." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, dear, but you really are a Pokemon."

"I don't know. I lost focus there too," Hugh offered. "I thought it was because I finally found Liepard, but I don't know. I'm a pretty angry guy. Why didn't I want to unleash my rage on them? Maybe Colress accidentally evened things out."

I started to speak, but suddenly something cold was in my hand. I looked over, and saw a cone in my hand. I looked up, and the woman with the flower in her hair smiled at me. "Amanita's keeping the clerk busy. But you two should be more careful. I could tell there were two male voices, and none of them were saying Sandslash."

After I got over the shock of Fennel putting an ice cream in my hand, we all sat down and got to talking.

Fennel said she was sure Amanita, the little girl who wasn't actually a little girl, couldn't keep the clerk out of the room all that long.

"It's not that I don't trust Kris to keep the secret of a talking Pokemon under wraps," Fennel apologized. "I just don't know her yet; she's only been working for us a few months. And I could tell you were nervous around us. But trust me, I've seen stranger things."

I licked the ice cream cone. The flavor tasted familiar… it brought back memories. Memories of aching and cold, and soothing voices, N's and Reshiram's, telling me it was going to be all right… I thought better than saying something, but I couldn't help but shudder.

"Don't eat it too fast! Brain freeze." Burnet chirped. I wanted to glare; she had no idea.

"So what did I miss?" Fennel sat back down next to Burnet.

"We were talking about Colress machines. It seemed Team Plasma had one at the Chasm, but Hugh here thinks they might be able to affect humans."

"Oh? Well how would that work?" She brought her hand up to her mouth.

Hugh shrugged. "I'm not sure how disoriented I was can be completely chalked up to the surprise I got with my sister's Liepard. Sonic and some of my Pokemon acted weird in that area, too."

"I think the real question would be whether N was more docile there or not," Fennel took a bite of her cone. "He can talk to Pokemon. It stands to reason he's more like them than most people are."

"Were there any psychic sensitives on hand to pick it up?" Burnet pulled out some kinda phone and started tapping away at it. "Sabrina was on the other side of Unova, wasn't she?"

I felt like the room was spinning, but it'd look weird if I didn't finish the cone, so i took a bite. That really did give me brain freeze, but I gritted my teeth and kept up a smile through the pressure in my head, the nausea, the malaise. It was like hanging out with Chip all over again, only I couldn't just offer someone in the room the rest of mine. Actually, it was a lot like being with Chip. The whole werehog thing had given me a lot of doubts about what exactly I really am, and this was just stirring them back up. Could I really be a Pokemon? Was I really that vulnerable?

"What are we going to do about this?" Hugh stood up as he popped the last piece of his cone into his mouth. I don't know how he ate the cone that fast without keeling over. "You can't just keep stuff like that a secret. Even if they get rid of the thing Team Plasma used, someone will find out about it and make their own."

"I'll talk to my friends in Orre," Burnet offered. "They know quite a bit about controlling Pokemon against their will, especially in unorthodox ways. Perhaps I could get Rui to come out here and look at auras." Then she turned to me. "Rui's psychic. She sees auras. What a Pokemon is like."

I nodded. It didn't make a lot of sense to me; aura seemed to mean a lot of diferent things in this world.

Still, something must have seemed off about my response, because Hugh of all people asked, "Sonic, are you all right?"

"I'm bone tired," I exaggerated. "I was out until late making sure N was all right, and Cobalion woke me up this morning to be a total stick in the mud."

"Cobalion?!" Burnet jumped out of her seat. "But Cobalion is said to appear mainly to humans… ones whose aim is to keep Pokemon and their habitats safe." She cocked her head to the side. "So Pokemon tend to perceive you as human, but you understand them, and seem like a Pokemon to humans…"

As she finished talking, Fennel about squealed. "Oh oh, if you're tired, would you try sleeping in my machine so I can see your dreams?"

"That's a stupid idea!" Hugh snapped. "Your clerk you don't trust is still in the other room! You're just going to have him go to sleep here?"

"It's not as if she hasn't already seen him," Fennel offered, smiling.

"He shouldn't even be in the city in the first place," Hugh argued. I just watched them, shaking my head. I didn't feel like trying to shout over them.

"I think we're forgetting something," Burnet offered sternly. I took a bite of my ice cream.

"What?" Came both voices.

"I think we forgot to ask Sonic what he wants."

I smiled, trying to turn on the charm. "Aww come on, Burnet. I was gonna wait until they decided on somethin' and say no." That seemed to kill the tension in the room some, so I continued. "I wanna make a plan and get out of here before Kris gets back. When Pokemon are free, Fennel, then I'll help test your machine."

There was a voice in the other room, and we all tensed.

"Here's the plan," Burnet walked over toward the door. "I'm going to do all the research I can on different Pokemon control methods. Fennel's not going to; it'd raise too many questions for her clerk. Hugh, be a dear and ask your friend what happened at the Chasm, will you? And Sonic… just keep in touch." She handed me a a few buisness cards. "My contact information and Fennel's. We can get Bianca to get ahold of Hugh if need be. A dear friend of hers runs the gym in Hugh's hometown."

I took the cards and slid them into my glove. "Thanks, Burnet. Me, I'm gonna try and figure out how pokeballs actually effect a Pokemon. I'm gonna go watch someone get captured."

Then I waved, and I stepped into the elevator to a chorus of goodbyes. As I rode down, I shuddered. Maybe it was from weeks of eating nothing but forage and berries. Maybe it was from nerves. But that ice cream felt heavy in my stomach, and I didn't feel like doing much of anything except escaping the city.

I went back out the way I came, running a bit more slowly through the desert. It didn't feel really great against my skin, and I knew I had to get to shelter, so I picked up pace and made my way to Nimbasa City. The spectre of the Ferris Wheel loomed over me; I didn't want to think about N. So I went the other way, out of town, toward the big orange bridge that lead to the next city.

I could not believe who I saw there.


	8. Destiny Bond

Stocky figure, black coat, dark hat… And that unmistakable accent. The guy from Chargestone Cave, the guy who'd said all those things about N, was talking to a lady with brown hair in an apron. He handed her some money, and she gave him a handful of something.

I stood there, dumbstruck. It was that guy! And he was walking toward me, not looking. But then he locked eyes with me, and he smiled. If I were a trainer, we would have battled. But I'm not a trainer.

"Ah, getting a little braver are we, little Pokemon?" There was a sneer in his voice, but something in his eyes was softer. He tilted his head. "How nice to see you again. I thought I passed you on my way to investigate Giant Chasm.. Though, you are looking a bit blue…"

I frowned and fought the urge to throw a pun back. I realized I was standing a little bit sideways toward him, my right foot a little behind my left. "Are you this abrasive to everyone, or just people who could knock you into next week?"

He laughed. "I'd like to see you try. Actually, don't; I don't want to listen to a twenty minute lecture on the hearts of Pokemon from your effeminate friend." He shook his head and started rifling through his pocket. I tensed, shifting my weight onto my back foot.

"He's off doing his own thing," I explained, immediately regretting it. "I'm looking into my own leads on how to free the Pokemon."

"And I was right, wasn't I?"

It took me a second to respond. My first impulse was to smart off at him.. but he was completely right. He'd tried to warn me, and I hadn't done enough with the knowledge. "Yeah," I nodded. "Yeah, you totally were."

He pulled something out of his pocket… a little green berry. I remembered N giving me some… Lum berries. Berries that can heal just about anything. He held it out to me. "You really don't look as well as you did last time I saw you, Sonic. This might help, but you really ought to be checked out by a Pokemon Nurse."

I took it, deciding not to try it until I could run it past a person I liked more. Maybe that Bianca, if I could find her. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not a Pokemon; don't wanna give anyone the wrong idea. They might try to…" Then it hit me. What had I told the others I was gonna do? "Hey, you're not out here to catch Pokemon, are you?"

He blinked. "As a matter of fact, I'm hoping to catch a Sandile for the Type Expert Tournament." He grinned. "I promise I won't throw any Pokeballs at you if you tag along."

I considered. He seemed kinda shady, but he'd also been a lot nicer to me than a lot of the people I'd spent time with. He was the only person aside from N who'd tried to warn me about N's dad, too. Can't really argue with that.

"I'll follow. Just to be on the safe side." I smiled.

"It's quite a hike. I'm afraid I'm not as fast as you." He started walking toward the city. "And you'll need some protective gear if you're going to go out there. We'll stop in Join Avenue to requisition some supplies, and maybe a hot meal."

If I were being honest with myself, I'd have admitted he had me right there. It had been weeks since I'd eaten a hot meal. But I kept up acting like I wasn't going to go along with everything. "So you can slip me something and ball me."

"If you're that paranoid, I can send you over to a kiosk yourself with a note and some money. Regardless, you're going to need to act like you're my new Sandslash. Which means that when we're where people might hear us, you'll be safer if you can speak as a Pokemon would."

I rolled my eyes, mimicking the Pokemon. "Slash." Then I slipped back into my own voice. "But are you sure that's a good idea? N acted like even being seen with him would be bad."

"N maybe a stronger trainer, but he's a vulnerable man. I was the strongest gym leader of my region for the longest time, and I have a reputation for being down-to-earth. If you appear to be mine, very few people would make a move on you. Those who would likely have the resources to track you when you're alone, so at least I can act as another set of eyes."

Gym leader, huh? I thought about that, frowning. Gym leader. Down to earth. Strongest in his region. "For the longest time," as in not any more.

When I put the pieces together, everything in my body felt like it was trying to seize up and make itself as small as possible, and I hoped I could stomach that hot meal… if I weren't too busy running from this guy to get one.

"So then you have to be that Giovanni guy. The head of Team Rocket."

He grinned, but he looked a little concerned. "You've been doing your research then, Sonic. But I'm its former head. I have long since given up that life."

I shook my head. Geez, N was rubbing off on me. "You want me to let you buy me a meal after you basically took over a whole country? Dude, you got some nerve!" I was grinning, a challenge in my eyes, but inside I was heartbroken. I wanted a hot meal. I wanted to see someone nice catch a Pokemon. I wanted to talk to someone who knew what was going on…

"I do have some nerve. That's how I took my mother's weak little gang and turned it into a criminal empire." He stopped walking and stared at me, almost growling. "And I don't feel a great deal of remorse for most of the things we did. Certainly none of the things I've ordered."

"That's really reassuring, Giovanni. I totally want you at my back." I rolled my eyes.

He frowned at me. "After I disbanded Team Rocket the first time, I found out some of my agents had murdered a mother Pokemon who was protecting her young. Then my former underlings decided to use science to force under-leveled Pokemon to evolve, unbidden by me. In subsequent years, no less than two environmental terror groups, a group devoted to horrific experimentation on Pokemon, a religious cult bent on destroying the world, and a religious cult that worked Pokemon to death under the guise of freeing them…" He took a deep breath, turning away from me. "They did all of those terrible things, nearly destroyed my world, caused so much suffering for what? And they did it all in my model, in the image of my organization."

I wanted to mouth off and keep pushing, but I couldn't. He had been so articulate seconds before, speaking like a king in a storybook… and now he was stumbling, talking like a normal person. His voice was so blank, but I could tell he was trying to sound calm. He was showing real remorse. And after all those years of being the villain, maybe he was finally trying to play nice…

"So, quit worrying and be the guy who helps me save the Pokemon." I stepped forward, turning to face him and walking backwards. "I'll take that hot meal, we'll catch a Pokemon so I can see how nasty these Pokeballs really are, and we'll figure out where to go from there." I gave him my most charming smile… then he gave me his, and followed.

I could feel people's eyes on me as we walked through Nimbasa City. Walked, My head held high. I didn't like having someone who used to be evil at my back like that, but I didn't see much choice. If he was sincere, people not trusting him might push him back toward evil. I didn't need that on my conscience. I didn't like the way people were staring at me, either.

The person who bothered me the most was a guy about my age with black hair. He was heading toward the Ferris wheel, and as we passed, he just stopped, turned toward me, and grinned. Then he looked behind me, and I could see all the color drain from his face. He adjusted his tie and approached Giovanni. I turned around.

"What kind of Pokemon is that, Giovanni?" he asked.

"He's a Sandslash." Giovanni glared down at him, sneering.

"Do I look like an idiot? He's no Sandslash." The guy squatted down to me, his tie hanging in front of him. "What kind of Pokemon are you?"

I wanted to answer that I wasn't, but instead I looked up at Giovanni. His brow was narrowed, but he was smiling. He seemed frustrated, but not all that worried.

"No, don't look at him right now. Look back at me." The guy grabbed my hand, which got my attention, and I looked back at him, glaring as hard as I could. "Do you want to be with this man?"

I nodded. He looked surprised.

"Of course, unless he told you, you'd have no idea of why I'd even ask a question like that…"

I jerked my hand out of his, and whispered. "He told me everything. Now quit blowing my cover."

The man's eyes widened, but he nodded and stood, turning to Giovanni. "He has very small claws for a Sandslash. I see why you've put gloves on him. I hope you don't plan to use him in the Tournament; Pokemon have to conform to breed standard, color aside."

"Of course not," Giovanni sneered. I felt him walk closer, and he put a hand on my shoulder. I tried not to shudder, but on some level it was kinda nice. "I use him mostly for catching other Pokemon. Those small claws aren't such a problem when the swipe is false."

The word "use" wasn't so nice. I made a face.

"Maybe sometime you could bring him by Aspertia." He glanced down at me. "I think my students could use a lesson on breed conformity and league standards. And I think my friend Hugh would find him interesting."

I felt my ears pick up. This guy knew Hugh? He was a teacher?

"Yes, perhaps sometime we shall have to do that. But for now, Sonic and I must really get going. It's my understanding that he was recently in the company of a different friend of yours. While Mr. Harmonia's conversational skills are apparently superb, his hospitality is quite lacking."

He nodded. "You know, I was only going to go on the Ferris wheel, and it's getting late. I'll feed him while you get supplies, if you'd like. I promise I won't take him anywhere he doesn't want to go."

I glanced back at Giovanni, alarmed. Who the hell was this guy? I was getting sick of getting passed around from human to human.

"Sonic, Cheren is more than trustworthy. He helped stop Team Plasma not once, but twice. I daresay he's more trustworthy than I am, which is why he's so eager to separate us. If you'd like to grab a bite with him, I would feel no need to stop you." Giovanni frowned. "And you have every reason not to trust me, so do as you like. I'll be leaving for the desert at two sharp. If you'd like to go with me, meet me at the gates of Join Avenue."

I nodded at Giovanni, waved, and offered a weak "slash," trying not to frown. I felt like I was breaking the guy's heart, but I had to take the out when I could get it. He nodded, looking away quickly, and trudged off. I wanted so badly to hold out a hand, to shout "wait," to apologize… but at this point that wouldn't help anyone. Even if I took it back, he'd still know I didn't trust him now.

"What a complete bother." Cheren straightened his tie. "He's up to something, too. Can't we at least have another two years to get ready this time?"

I said, softly, trying not to be heard by anyone but him, "Maybe he's really sorry."

"Oh yeah, befriend an apparently legendary Pokemon who may not even fit his type specialty because he's 'sorry.'" The guy rolled his eyes.

"Dude, this isn't the first time I met him. He warned me about Ghetsis and how he'd manipulate N last time."

"For one, this'll look a whole lot less weird if you take my hand and walk with me." So I did, trying to look up at him like a child would, even though I wanted to slap him. "For two, warning someone about Ghetsis using N is like warning someone not to stick their hand in a fire. What's your ability, Oblivious?"

That was enough. I wrenched my hand out of his and looked back toward where Giovanni was. I wanted to tell him off, but I knew I wouldn't be safe if I did. Everyone was staring now.

"Oh, come on. You just wander around with a guy who kills cubones and forces Pokemon to evolve and you expect people coo and coddle you like you're some helpless little Mareep?" He bent down a little, glaring at me, looking over glasses that weren't there. "Are you responsible for your own safety and intelligent enough to make your own decisions, or are you a Pokemon who'll follow the first trainer he comes across like a hungry lillipup?"

That was too much.

I grabbed his tie, and pulled him close, to my face, not caring who could see me. I saw his hand go to his belt, but he didn't open the Pokeball there. "Didja ever think you might catch more flies with honey than vinegar, Cheren? You didn't rescue me from him. I coulda left whenever I wanted."

"So why didn't you?" His voice was cool.

"Because I didn't want to!" The words sent a chill through me; I could feel a pressure in my head, like I was forgetting something, missing something. It wasn't right. But I was starting to get loud, so I checked my volume, and whispered. "Where I come from you don't judge people based on something they did years ago, or what they come from, or what they look like, or even what species they are. You judge 'em based on what they do. What they've done recently. Everyone deserves a second chance."

I let go of his tie, and he stood up, straightening himself. "Fine, I won't disparage your trainer anymore, but don't say I didn't try to help." Still, he averted his eyes and walked forward. I followed.


End file.
